SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained – Xbalanque

SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained is a column dedicated to introducing prospective players of SMITE to its massive back story of lore. From the Greek to Hindu, each week we’ll look at two characters from a major pantheon and provide a quick recap of their history and in what capacity their digital incarnation will represent on the field of Hi-Rez Studios’ upcoming MOBA.

Lore: Xbalanque, pronounced Shib-a-lan-que, is one half of the Maya Hero Twins. The tale of Xbalanque and Hunahpu is the most retold, well known and common motif in all native American mythos since the pair are protagonists to the Maya creation myth.

The brothers were created from the seed of their murdered father after he and his brother were summoned to Xibalba, the Mayan underworld, by the Lords of the Underworld. Their pregnant mother fled the scene, raising her sons to avenge their father and uncle. Taking after their elders, the pair became famed ballplayers, eventually challenging the Lords of the Underworld under guise and avenging the death of their relatives. The realm of Xibalba was never the same.
The Maya Hero Twins didn’t fall out of legend. Their overwhelming victory at Xibalba is just the final victory in a storied past (see the Popol Vuh link below for additional details). They’re also responsible for defeating Vucub-Caquix, a demon bird, by simply shaming him to death. Words hurt, yo. Earlier, Xbalanque and Hunahpu turned their half-brothers into howler monkey gods.

Father avenged, vain gods removed from the Earth, Xbalanque and Hunahpu ascended to become the Sun and Moon. Forever watching over the realm of Earth.

In-Game: Xbalanque is a short-range physical god with high utility. Capable of slowing, stunning, blinding and poisoning his foes from a distance, Xbalanque is a strong laner that should be approached with caution at all points of the game. His high utility comes at a cost, as you’ll appropriate comboing of his abilities to maximize his carnage potential.

To ensure victory Xbalanque is optimally built one way, damage. Grab items like Warrior’s Tabi, The Executioner and Deathbringer, mixing in additional utility or lifesteal items depending on your playstyle and game requirements.